Water exercise offers people with fibromyalgia great benefits, from better sleep and better mood to less pain and improved overall physical health.

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Whether you work out on land or do water exercise, if you have fibromyalgia, you can expect an improvement in pain and overall physical function. However, some studies suggest that a pool-based workout, such as water aerobics, may do more to improve your sleep quality and your overall mood than a land-based activity such as walking or dancing.

Water exercise helps people with fibromyalgia feel less pain, sleep better, move more easily, and generally feel more positive about life. If there was a pill that promised all that, it would fly off pharmacy shelves, so consider signing up for water aerobics and start enjoying the benefits of aquatic therapy.

Water exercise is appealing and effective for people with fibromyalgia for many reasons:

Water supports you. "If you're in waist-level water, you are at approximately 50 percent weight bearing," explains physical therapist Marie Hoeger Bement, PT, PhD, an assistant professor in the physical therapy department at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis., and a spokesperson for the American Physical Therapy Association. This means that your body doesn't have to work as hard with aquatic therapy, and you may feel that you can move more freely and comfortably — it's as though you weighed only half of what the scale reads.

Water relaxes you. Warm water is especially soothing. It also helps your muscles and tissues stretch, making movement easier.

Water invigorates you. If you're looking for energizing aquatic therapy, go for a pool set at a slightly cooler temperature. You'll have all the benefits of a water workout and feel refreshed.

Water provides sensory stimulation. The magic quality of water that may help reduce your pain lies in the overall physical sensation of being in water. Basically, water stimulates your body's senses in a way that may actually stop it from feeling pain as intensely.

Ready to head to the nearest pool? Take a deep breath and hold on to that enthusiasm. There are a few steps you should take to make sure that you embrace this exercise approach correctly:

Start with supervision. "There's a lot of research showing that you need supervision so that you understand how to do the exercises," says Bement. Working with a physical therapist or qualified water aerobics instructor can get you started safely.

Join a group. While you can certainly reap some benefits from swimming laps or performing your water ballet solo, doing water aerobics with a group of like-minded peers who support your efforts can multiply the benefits of exercise. It's more fun and you'll feel more accountable for showing up regularly.

Shop around for access to a pool. Granted, most people don't have a heated in-ground pool or a gym membership. With a little research, however, you should be able to find a community-based water aerobics program that won't break your budget. Check out local athletic clubs or your YMCA. And it never hurts to ask your doctor for a recommendation.

Bement teaches hydrotherapy and tries to stay up to date on the research, but she says that there is no clear indication at this point about what type of water exercise is best for any given individual. Your personal preference and the availability of aquatic therapy programs near you will likely determine whether you join a group that focuses on water aerobics, strengthening exercises, or walking and jogging in water. Any of those could be helpful to people with fibromyalgia.

Whatever approach you choose, start slowly and work toward a goal of exercising at moderate intensity at least two or three times a week — the amount of exercise recommended by the American Pain Society.

"I agree with the American Pain Society guideline in that you want to start at a lower level with a gradual progression," says Bement. "People have a tendency to overdo it when they first start exercising in the water because of the ease of movement, so they may experience an exacerbation and then stop exercising." That's exactly what you don't want to have happen. The most successful exercise program is one that you enjoy and feel good about — and want to maintain.

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